Quicksand

In the early ‘90s, the American hardcore punk scene was going through a transitional stage. Many of the musicians from the genre were tired of playing to rooms full of sweaty, moshing dudes. They wanted to move along, experiment and maybe write a song over the duration of two minutes. If any band from that time frame defines the collectively unconscious leap across the loud-fast-rules chasm into the realm known as post-core, it’s Quicksand. Made up of members from such classic New York hardcore bands as Gorilla Biscuits, Beyond and Absolution, the band took the basic, visceral charge of hardcore, slowed it down, tuned it down, dubbed it up and refined it enough to score a major label deal with Polygram Records. In 1995, after recording two full lengths, they disbanded, but left a lasting influence on generations to come. And even though band leader Walter Shreifels swore up and down they’d never reunite, here they are, back and more sonically relevant than ever. If you missed them the first time around, here’s your chance to bask in all their visionary glory. —Tony Rettman